I post this message today to express my great sadness, My Ford model T 1924 was completely destroyed in an accident late Sunday afternoon.

We retrions with my wife Pascale and my son Hugo 9 years of a rally organized by the old car club in my town, when a long straight a car violently crashed into the back of my Ford.

We were mounted and I drove to the first speed remaining well to the right of the road. The sun was in front of us and dazzled. All vehicles had slowed down at this point.

Despite the sun was dazzling, the young driver did not slow down and hit the back of the Ford. It was traveling at 110 km / h and the Ford was traveling at 15 km / h. The shock was terrible, Ford executed a U-turn at the front, we were ejected all three on the edge of the road, Ford and fell and still make a U-turn on its side.

My wife had Easter ankle trapped under the Ford and Hugo had both legs tucked under the body of the Ford. For me, I was ejected 8M further into the ditch.

We were very lucky because my wife only a fracture to the ankle. Hugo has only 2 big bruises on his legs, and I'm a simple back pain (What I had done in lifting the car to get my son).

Pascale is still in the hospital but it certainly leaves Friday or Saturday. Rehabilitation to regain the use of his ankle will be very long but it is relative because we could certainly die all three in a violent accident.

Here are some pictures.

Be very careful with all your Ford model T, and beware of modern cars that run too fast.

I am so glad to hear your family is going to be OK! I'm sad for you and all the work you put in to the Model T. I have followed your posts over the years and enjoyed watching your progress with the T. Best wishes to you and your family for a speedy recovery!

Oliver, I too am happy to learn your whole family is under the circumstances doing well. Don't give up, I think with good insurance your car is repairable. Make sure the insurance co gives you what you need to fix it. Jerry

Oh NO!!! I am glad that you and your family weren't seriously hurt, and my prayers and best wishes for Pascale's quick recovery... As to the car, I am heartbroken, as it was one of the prettiest T's I knew of on your side of the pond... Don't lose faith, it, too, can be "healed" as well... Our prayers and best wishes to you and yours, Olivier... Susanne

Olivier, I am so thankful that you and your family have come through that terrible accident blessed by not having severe injuries. One's own life and health are much more important than a car. Just yesterday I was rereading the article that was published several years ago in the May-June 2009 Model T Times. You had to do a great amount of work to restore your car due to rust and wear. In looking at your pictures of the wreck I believe that maybe you can once again get your beautiful Model T back on the road. Just as you had to replace the engine in your car due to rust, you will certainly have to replace other components on your car again, but with time and hard work I believe it could be done. Thank you for letting us know of your accident along with the pictures. I wish you and your family a complete recovery. ================================= Olivier, je suis tellement reconnaissante que vous et votre famille sont passés par ce terrible accident heureux de ne pas avoir de graves blessures. Sa propre vie et de la santé sont beaucoup plus importants qu'une voiture. Hier, j'ai relu l'article qui a été publié il ya plusieurs années dans l'édition 2009 de mai-juin Times, Modèle T. Il fallait faire une grande quantité de travail pour restaurer votre voiture à cause de la rouille et l'usure. En regardant vos photos de l'accident, je crois que peut-être vous pouvez de nouveau obtenir vos Modèle T belles retour sur la route. Tout comme vous avez dû remplacer le moteur de votre voiture à cause de la rouille, vous aurez certainement à remplacer d'autres composants de votre voiture à nouveau, mais avec le temps et le travail acharné, je crois que cela pourrait être fait. Merci de nous faire part de votre accident avec les photos. Je vous souhaite ainsi qu'à votre famille un rétablissement complet.

With all due respect to the on-line translator that Olivier uses, I have taken the liberty of doing my own translation of his French report on the accident. It has been over 40 years since I lived in France and spoke French every day, but I do still have dictionaries to help with the forgotten words.

"Good day to all, I am posting this message today to tell you about my great sadness. My 1924 Model T Ford was completely destroyed in an accident last Sunday afternoon. We were returning with my wife Pascale and my 9-year-old son Hugo from a gathering organized by the antique car club in my city, when in a long line to the right a car very violently struck the rear of my Ford. We were on a slope and I was driving in low gear, keeping well to the right of the road. The setting sun was facing us and dazzled us. All vehicles were going slowly at this point.. Despite the sun which should have dazzled him, the young driver did not slow down and struck the back of the Ford. He was driving 110 km/h and the Ford was driving 15 km/h. The shock was terrible, the Ford executed an about-face from the front, all three of us were ejected at the side of the road, the Ford fell again and again did an about-face at the side. My wife Pascale had an ankle wedged beneath the Ford and Hugo had both legs wedged under the body of the Ford. I was ejected 8 meters farther away in the ditch. We were very lucky because only my wife had an open fracture of the ankle. Hugo has only two large bruises on his legs, and I have a simple back pain (which I did to myself in lifting the car to free my son). Pascale is still in the hospital, but she will certainly be released Friday or Saturday. Rehabilitation for regaining the use of her ankle will certainly be very long, but we have to put things into perspective because we could certainly have all three died in such a violent accident. Be very careful with your Model T Ford, and don’t trust modern cars that drive much too fast."

If you believe in any thing you owe Him/Her a vote of thanks. Glad you're all relatively OK. That being said: the car that hit you was going what, about 55/60 MPH and you were doing about 7 to 10 MPH? Club or no club what the heck were you all doing on that road? Looking at the pictures I'd estimate that road would have a 45 to 55 MPH speed limit in my area. Aside from the fact that you were rear ended by a negligent driver you were essentially stopped. Sorry Olivier but someone screwed up planning that route. A T has no business on a highway where it not only can't do the limit but slows to a crawl. The other driver was wrong but it does you no good. My 2 cents: stick with local roads their dangerous enough for T drivers.

Sorry to hear about your accident and the destruction of the car. I have many pictures of your car, I liked it very much. I hope the injuries are no worse than you have reported. Now you must work faster on the '15 touring.

Best wishes from all your American friends and other friends around the world who have come to know you and your wonderful car through the forum. You were blessed and lucky to have survived with no worse injuries than you have.

Surely you will rebuild the car, if there is anything we can do to supply parts, let us know. Parts are in abundance here and many of us would be glad to help you with rebuilding as much as we can.

Best wishes for recovery of both your son and also your car. I had a danish T-friend that experinced something similar a your ago. Young girl texting had not seen my buddy had pulled over (correctly) to take a call that came on his mobile. The car came with "just" 70-80 km/h (45 - 50 mph) and did a U-turn as well and he was also thrown out but only got bruces. I think this is exactly what we all fear...

Olivier, I am so glad to hear your family will be okay. It saddens me very much to hear of this accident and see pictures of the wreckage. But I would not want to not hear about it. Many of us on this forum consider you and so many others to be our friends, even if we never get to meet face to face. We do care about our friends. We want to know of these things. Thank you for letting us know. I wish for a speedy recovery for your family and you. Put the car aside for a short while. It can be repaired, almost as well as it was. But consider that later. Take care of you, and your family. Wayne Sheldon

Olivier, So very sad to see the pictures of your destroyed car. I sincerely hope that this accident will not effect your passion and desire for owning and driving a Model T. I hope your wife and family are ares still keen to continue the hobbie with you. All the best with your recovery. Warwick.

Thank God you and your family are going to be ok. Hopefully they will be able to overcome the fear of getting into another T after that. It'll never be the same for any of you again I'm sure. Sorry to see this happen to you all.

I agree Andrew but I hope it dont become a hash session regarding that topic,but this is a obvious case that they would do more harm than good. Olivier it is sad news like this that remind me how small my problems are compared to those of others. I am glad your injurys can be over come.

Olivier, You and your family are truly blessed! not to have any more injuries than stated from a rear end collision. Your touring body is most unique from our American perspective and I pray it will be restorable - after your family heals.

So sorry to hear of your misfortune and thank goodness everyone is all right...a T can be fixed too...

To my American colleagues here, Olivier had done the car up over the last few years using machine translation to and from French and the help of the forum. His English above is a machine translation so that is why it jumps a bit...

If I'm reading it right, the French that is...Olivier is saying it was horrible low sun glare facing them, he was in low, and apparently the 'young driver' never saw him until it was well too late.

have received the message from your accident on vacation in sweden via Toon Boer. We are schocked! Thanks god that you all are not more hurt - we hope everything will become best. We think and pray for you.

Olivier, Accidents happen so fast and can be so devastating. I'm glad to hear you're alright and We'll all be waiting to hear updates over the next several weeks regarding the health of your family. And I pray you'll be able to salvage your Model T.

YOU WERE ALL VERY LUCKY TO survive so well from this awful incident. God must be smiling down on you all for bringing you through such a terrible experience. The car will be very easily repairable. You will have to do it quite quickly so that will be able to greet you at Saumur in 2013. David and Moira Skinner, just a short journey and a little swim North, up in Hampshire, Angleterre.

Olivier and family are such nice people. They work so hard for their Model T web site and planning the annual model T concentration in France. The French commercial model T body that he restored carefully ten years ago is quite different from American ones : lower on wheels and heavier with stronger wooden bows ... Perhaps these differences saved their lives ... Hi David . We expect that Olivier will come with us to England for the next T Register U K rallye. Best regards to you David and T people. Pierre Izaret

Olivier, that was a terrible accident. I wish you and the family a fast and good recovery. Hope to see you in Saumur next year. If you don"t have a T then, you may use one of mine.All the best and good luck. Cees Steeman in Holland.

Rick, I estimate about half the people thrown from cars are fatals. The last one of note was Ken Meeks. The speed of the car when it ejects the passengers - including the driver who is a passenger at that point - is important.

There is an advantage in being strapped behind the wheel where you may be able to affect the outcome.

Ralph, in the case of Ken Meek, he'd have been better off if he had been thrown free right away. Marge was thrown out of the car on the first rollover and survived. Ken was wedged behind the steering wheel and wasn't thrown out until the second rollover (as would more or less have been the case if he had been wearing a seat belt).

Olivier, Thank GOD you are all alive and mostly in one piece. The ford can be fixed of course. So glad you still have each other. Such a thing could happen to any of us and many have had very close calls. May you all heal quickly. Please keep us posted.

Pascale is discharged from hospital with a beautiful resin ankle that will endure for three months. Now, what will he be patient ......... and I also may be ....... Hugo goes well, although it will also be time for him to forget the trauma of the accident.

Kees, your proposal for a model T we are extremely pleased, but I would not accept fear that the same thing happens to him. But thank you for giving us your trust.

Now I'll try to work a bit faster to finish the restoration of 1912 as soon as possible. I would inform you on what will become the 1924, when insurance companies have given an answer.

Glad all are recovering from what could have a much worse event.How anybody can say sorry or worry be sick or even mention anything about the car in any form has their priorities out of wack...1 life and ones health are more important than any old machine ...I didn't give a thought about the demise of car.BAffles me anyone would? Speedy recovery!

Olivier, Its good to hear of your positive outcome after such a negative event. Personally I am saddened by the demise of your lovely T. I have always had a soft spot for it because it and my T have something in common.....bodies built in their country of residence. Yours in France, mine in Australia. However, I do have several images of your car saved on my computer for my future perusal. Driving my T on single lane highways has always scared the %#!*&^ out of me. Even more so now. Good luck with your 1912 restoration. Rob